Control effect of the red nets on the density of Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood on tea plants

The effectiveness of controlling Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood by covering plants with red insect nets was evaluated by field tests on infested commercially grown tea plants in 2016 and 2017. The population density of S. dorsalis on the tea plants covered by the red nets was reduced from about one-tenth to one-fifth of that without the red insect nets, and the percentage of leaf damage caused by the thrips was maintained at no more than one-fourth to one-third when the red nets were used, compared to the percentage of damage without them. These results indicate that the red insect nets are an effective and economically efficient measure for the control of S. dorsalis.